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| Home / College Guide / Twins Draft Class Has One Pitching Detail Fans Will Want To See |
| Posted on Monday, July 20 @ 00:01:10 PDT |
The Minnesota Twins’ 2026 draft class is starting to take shape, and the organization is moving quickly to get its 21 selections signed. The group is headlined by Georgia Tech catcher Vahn Lackey, the No. 3 overall pick and the highest catcher drafted by the Twins since Joe Mauer in 2001.
There’s also a clear pattern in how Minnesota built this class. Of the nearly two dozen players selected earlier this month, only 6’5? pitcher Ethan Wachsmann came straight out of high school. The Twins leaned older, and that approach helped them manage their bonus pool because those players have less, if any, college eligibility left and are more likely to sign even if the slot money isn’t perfect.
I recently spoke with three of Minnesota’s pitching picks from the draft: Brett Renfrow, Wachsmann and Tommy LaPour. Each brings a different path, but all three are already talking like guys ready to get to work.
Brett Renfrow was the Twins’ first competitive balance pick, going No. 74 overall out of Virginia Tech. Minnesota had already used its first two picks on catchers before turning to the mound, and Renfrow gives them a right-hander who showed real consistency in college.
He posted a 4.
64 ERA over 73 2/3 innings in his final season, but he also delivered a career-best 10.8 strikeouts per nine innings. His fastball has reached 97 mph, and at Virginia Tech he liked to attack hitters with it up in the zone.
Renfrow described himself this way: “It was a lot of fun getting to know the Twins organization and growing a relationship with them. We had many great conversations and definitely felt good going to the draft! After talking with them I knew they were a quality organization and they made me feel really good.
I’m an extremely competitive pitcher that loves to attack the zone and use a five pitch mix that keeps hitters off balance. Being a Friday night starter since my freshman year has taught that consistency, discipline, and maturity in your preparation is the key of being successful.”
His college track record suggests a pretty steady arm. He was durable across three seasons and produced similar numbers from the moment he arrived on campus through the end of his career. If Minnesota can sharpen the command, he has the look of a mid-rotation starter down the line.
I also checked in with Tanner Schobel, the former Virginia Tech infielder now at Triple-A St. Paul, and he had good things to say about his fellow Hokie.
Schobel called Renfrow a “great dude” and said his fastball has “good life.”
Minnesota then went back to the right-handed pitching well at No. 79 overall and made its lone high school selection of the draft, taking Ethan Wachsmann. A Wake Forest commit, Wachsmann is the one player in this class the Twins are essentially paying to bypass college baseball.
He said the Twins were on him for a while before draft day. “The draft process started with them coming to multiple of my games throughout the spring.
Then having zoom meetings along with a meeting at the combine. I honestly didn’t have much of an expectation going into the draft of a team that would take me.”
Wachsmann already brings serious velocity. He said, “As a pitcher I bring a heater up to 100 mph and room for more improvement, along with three separate breaking pitches that I believe can be improved upon greatly.
I’ve hit triple digits multiple times now and still think there’s room for more. I hope to develop my command of off-speed pitches most at the next level.”
He’s a project, but a loud one. Wachsmann comes from the same Colorado high school as Kevin Gausman, and his fastball is already the calling card.
His curveball is his best off-speed pitch right now, though when the heater is touching triple digits in high school, everything in the mix plays. The next step is obvious: better control, better feel, and a deeper understanding of pitching instead of just overpowering hitters.
The Twins closed out this run with TCU right-hander Tommy LaPour at No. 107 overall. LaPour, who also spent a season at Wichita State, brings a wrestling background to the table, putting him in the same mold as Louie Varland and Luke Keaschall before him. He credited head coach Kirk Saarloos for helping him settle in at TCU, and after his debut season there he posted a 3.09 ERA.
LaPour’s 2026 season was shortened by elbow soreness, and he talked about that experience during our conversation. He can reach 101 mph and pitches with the kind of bulldog edge that fits the Twins’ recent crop of power arms. He also said he’s looking forward to working with Minnesota’s pitching coaches, pointing to their development track record.
And yes, he’s already thinking about life in Minnesota beyond baseball. LaPour said he has friends in the area, but he’s never caught a muskie or walleye and wants to check that off his list on the road to the majors.
In Other News...
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What made the moment travel so quickly was the way it was caught on live TV, turning one fans wardrobe choice into a social-media talking point almost instantly. Screenshots began circulating online and the reactions came fast, with disbelief and jokes piling up while the game itself kept moving along in the background. [Read more ????]
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Kaelen Culpepper is part of that equation, too, once he gets past a second glute injury stint on the injured list and is ready to be recalled. If that timeline lines up the way the Twins hope, the club could soon have to decide whether Gray or Martin is the odd man out, with a trip to Triple-A St. Paul very much on the table depending on how the next few days unfold. [Read more ????]
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For a team trying to stay in the playoff mix, the timing is rough and the need is obvious. Minnesota already has little margin for error on the mound, and the latest setback only sharpens the question of whether the front office has to shop for starting pitching help before the trade deadline. [Read more ????]
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